Year One, October 27

The Hand of the Diligent Makes Rich1

The first nine chapters are a kind of introduction to the Book of Proverbs. Its short, to-the-point sentences begin at the tenth chapter.

  

Proverbs 10:1-16

1 The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son makes a glad father,

but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.

This is the first of the proverbs. Let each child pay special attention to it. Who among us would wish to be a lifelong grief to father and mother? Yet such will be the case if we live in sin and despise heavenly wisdom.

2 Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,

but righteousness delivers from death.

Judas gained his thirty pieces of silver, but what good did they do him? Paul was given the righteousness of Christ and has the joy of heaven forever.

3 The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry,

but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

The godly may experience hunger, but not extreme hunger. The wicked may increase in wealth, but their hope for happiness will not be reached.

4 A slack hand causes poverty,

but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

No pains, no gains. No sweat, no sweet.

5 He who gathers in summer is a prudent son,

but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.

Not using our time productively leads to sin. Our idle days are Satan’s busy days. The one who does not use their time wisely, will never have enough time.

6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,

but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing,

but the name of the wicked will rot.

8 The wise of heart will receive commandments,

but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

Wise people listen more than they speak. They are willing to listen to practical instruction. Foolish people talk on and on until they prove their foolishness.

9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

10 Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,

and a babbling fool will come to ruin.

Cowards are afraid to say things they know they should not, but express their feelings with a clever wink of the eye. They cause much misery. No honest person will behave that way.

People who talk too much prove that their religion is not real. Their profession of faith will soon become a shipwreck.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,

(sending out refreshing and saving streams from the water of life),

but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

They are like stagnate ponds that are full of putrid water. They are deadly to others, as well as harmful to themselves.

12 Hatred stirs up strife,

but love covers all offenses.

Loving spirits will not take offense, but will patiently endure for Christ’s sake. Those who actually enjoy being evil, will take offense over the smallest thing. They are always fanning the flames of hostility. Let us not act like that.

13 On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,

but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.

14 The wise lay up knowledge,

(because they still feel their own lack of it),

but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

They think they know it all and therefore will not learn. They blabber on to their own destruction.

15 A rich man’s wealth is his strong city;

the poverty of the poor is their ruin.

Sadly, this is often the case, even in our own country. Poor people are despised and few are willing to assist them. May the Lord send to us such a spirit of justice that we are always ready to stand with the weaker side and see to it that they are not treated unfairly. It is meanness itself to flatter the wealthy. True religion lifts us above such littleness.

16 The wage of the righteous leads to life,

the gain of the wicked to sin.

Work, not idleness, is the badge of a servant of God. With the wicked, it is always “what’s in it for me?” Their actions are sinful in the sight of the Lord.

Oh Lord, cause us to work because of the life of Christ within us and give us life even more abundantly.

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¹ Proverbs 10:4